The National University of Singapore (NUS), the country`s largest university by curriculum and student enrollment, works with IBM to develop educational modules on blockchain technology.

NUS Computing and the IBM Center for Blockchain Innovation (ICBI), a part of IBM Research, are planning to introduce the programme by January 2018.

The goal is to equip students with an understanding of the fundamentals of the technology behind distributed ledger technologies, as the website of the university explained (comp.nu.edu.sg).

“Our collaboration with ICBI marks yet another important milestone in our continuous efforts to bring industry relevant knowledge to our classrooms and at the same time inculcate technological responsibility in our students by spearheading the development of financial technology in Singapore, as the nation strives to become one of the world’s key digital financial hubs. The new module forms part of the newly enhanced Information Systems degree programme in which a new specialization in Financial Technology has been introduced. We are confident that our graduates will be well-prepared for the wide-ranging career opportunities in this fast-growing sector.”, said Associate Professor Hahn Jungpil, Head of the Department of Information Systems at NUS Computing.

The Singapore`s government strategic plan to become a Smart Financial Centre has put the focus on blockchain for the country, as the press release elaborated. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has committed S$225 million (US$157 million) over a five-year period to provide support to the creation of a blockchain ecosystem. This has been realized through its Financial Sector Technology & Innovation (FSTI) scheme.

ICBI will provide technology supports by giving access to the IBM Cloud to the Hyperledger Fabric blockchain framework. IBM has been known as an early contributor to Hyperledger, a Linux Foundation project that involves more than 129 member organizations.

The new university module will be co-taught by NUS academic staff and ICBI staff. It will help students learn about the latest developments in the blockchain technology and encourage them to develop it further.